Thursday, June 24, 2010

Kindlerama (Kindle free books, techncial stuff, etc.)

BLOG DESCRIPTION: KINDLERAMA keeps you up-to-date on Kindle related news, the latest software and hardware developments from Amazon, and great ebook bargains from the Kindle Store.

IF YOU OWN A KINDLE, you'll appreciate the tips and guides that will help you get the most out of your device.

* case and accessory reviews* shortcuts and easter eggs* how to guides and instructions* how to convert unfriendly file formats* tips for creating a killer ebook library

IF YOU USE THE KINDLE APP on another device, you'll find out the latest about the Kindle platform with up-to-the-minute posts about new developments.

* new operating systems* updates* what the competition is doing

And if you're just a general ebook enthusiast, you'll enjoy the random posts about industry topics such as DRM, publisher/retailer battles, pricing, and alternative devices.

MY REVIEW: There are a few Kindle related blogs that alert you to free books, and there are others that tell you about hacks and such like stuff. This is one of the second kind, and believe it or not there's a lot of technical information about your kindle that can help you get greater enjoyment out of it, so frankly I'd suggest giving this blog a try.

Sample post:

Have you read an indie or self-published book from the Kindle store recently? You should review it! Other Kindle readers will thank you, you’ll be famous (at least to that author), and you’ll be doing the entire Kindle community a huge public service.

In my daily trawling through Amazon’s Kindle store, I’m constantly coming across indie and self-published titles. Sometimes they look abysmal and I wish their authors well and click over to another page. But sometimes they catch my eye, either because of a well-designed cover (which is rare, sadly), or a compelling title, or a tightly written product description.

Now usually this is the point where I jump to the reviews and start skimming to get an idea of the book’s tone, sophistication, entertainment value, and so on.

Not so with indie and self-pubbed titles; more often than not I hit a blank review section, or a couple of reviews that are so effusive and exlamatory that they seem written by relatives and writing group friends.

Big publishers and the people who love them frequently argue that the indie/self-publishing world doesn’t work because there are no gatekeepers. Any old dreck can be pushed out to the Kindle store and sold for 99 cents. And they’re right, sadly, which you can see for yourself by drilling down to any random category on the Kindle store and sorting by price, low to high.

But that description is unfair because it paints with too broad a stroke. There are some terrific works out there waiting to be discovered by readers. They’d be easier to find if readers left good reviews–and not so good ones, if that’s called for–on the pages for these smaller titles.

If you’ve been following the daily deals I post in the sidebar, you might have noticed that I tend to focus a lot on indie and self-published works. That’s because they’re more likely to be bargain-priced, but also because I want to help readers discover new writers who aren’t going through the old fashioned big-business channels.

So please write reviews. Your honest opinions will help all of us make smarter decisions about what to read next.